PASSAGE 1
Section 3: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Many intercultural families involve the negotiation of different cultural traditions. They must adopt, or adapt to, elements of a different culture. This process can sometimes be fraught. Our cultural background provides us with a set of expectations about how things work in the world. Negotiating different elements of this worldview requires understanding and acceptance, and often compromise.
Dom and her twin sister Gen grew up with a blending of their mum and dad's cultural traditions. Their mum is of European heritage and their dad is Indian, but she grew up in Singapore. As a family, they celebrated Christmas and Deepavali. At Christmas, they had a roast lunch and presents. They also celebrated Deepavali or Diwali, as it is sometimes called, with a family meal and a prayer. They had sparklers too because it is the Festival of Light. On birthdays, they ate Prasad, an Indian sweet. But she doesn't recall her parents struggling with cultural differences. Their parents want them to pick and choose what they wanted from each culture.
Chloe and Matt had to navigate their different cultural heritages in the planning of their wedding. They had to bring Chloe's Chinese and Matt's Italian backgrounds together so that they and both families were happy with. The couple wanted a 'Western style' service in a church. Yet, Chloe's mum was uncomfortable with that and suggested the 'Eastern' side of the family. So, they included the traditional Chinese tea ceremony in the reception. Usually it takes place on the morning of the wedding with family members, but the couple decided to do it at the wedding reception instead. Chloe says when she spoke to guests, they had loved it.
In many intermarried families, the merging of cultural traditions happens most around the dinner table. Eliza remembers lots of stories about cooking when she was growing up. Her mum, from Trinidad and Tobago, still makes traditional food for their family. At Christmas, instead of roast ham for lunch, they would have it for breakfast. She would cut it up with tomatoes and lots of traditional spices. Mum would always try to get them to eat more spices, Eliza admits. "She's got this jar of spicy sauce and it's too spicy for the rest of us. She puts it on her food and she asks us if we want some too. We're like, 'no no no no!' So she'd say to us, you're not proper black children.' She's like, 'it's your white side coming out'," Eliza laughs. She says her dad is of British heritage.
Although navigating cultural differences in family life can be challenging, successful intermarriages have some common factors. One is shared values; another is a common faith. Openness towards difference and the ability to compromise are also important.
(Adapted from scanloninstitute.org.au)
Question 20. What does the word 'it' in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Christmas B. Diwali C. A family meal D. An Indian sweet
Question 21. How did Chloe adapt the tea ceremony to make both families happy?
A. They had it at Chloe's mum's.
B. They had it with their family members.
C. They had it on the morning of the wedding.
D. They had it at the wedding reception.
Question 22. At Christmas, what did Eliza and her family have for breakfast?
A. Roast ham B. Spicy food
C. Grilled tomatoes D. Christmas puddings
Question 23. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the phrase 'we're like' in paragraph 4?
A. We like each other. B. We look similar.
C. We reply to mum. D. We have the same opinion.
